Alternative Halloween Books?

[Erin K.]

I'm not a big horror fan. I'm watching everyone post about their scary/creepy/terrifying/chilling/etc. reads and feeling a little left out. Is there anyone else out there who just doesn't get into the whole scary book thing? What are your favorite alternative Halloween books?

[ManOfLaBook.com]

I guess most of Neil Gaiman's books (and comics) would qualify for the "Halloween for the Faint of Heart." category

[Maria Behar]

I agree with you completely, Erin! I dislike the horror genre, whether in books or film. I do love The Twilight Saga, but I wouldn't classify these books as horror, in spite of the fact that they feature vampires. These are not your "traditional" vampires, though. Heck, they don't even have fangs! There are some evil vampires in the Saga, but they are contrasted with the good ones -- the Cullen family. The evil ones are portrayed as totally evil and cruel. However, Stephenie Meyer does not allow them to get the upper hand.

I have never read anything in the horror genre, nor do I want to. I do know, from catching snippets of trailers shown on TV (I wasn't fast enough to change channels) to promote upcoming horror flicks, that evil does triumph in the end, in this genre. That's what I find totally objectionable, from a moral standpoint. Evil CANNOT triumph in the end! It might seem to do so, at least temporarily But in the end, good can and WILL vanquish it!

I especially detest Stephen King. I have never read any of his books, nor will I ever do so. What little I know of his plots I've garnered, again, from those movie trailers I've unfortunately seen.

What I enjoy reading at this time of year (actually, at any time, too) is vampire and other paranormal romances. The vampire romances are dark, yes, but with the promise of light amidst the darkness. The ones I love are those in which the vampire (usually a male) struggles mightily against his monstrous attraction to human blood, and is, of course, attracted to a good, innocent, human female. I know, this sounds like a stereotype....but I can't help it -- I'm totally addicted to this type of thing....

I also enjoy other paranormal romances, such as those featuring time travel, ghosts (again, male), and angels (also male, lol).

Authors I love include Stephenie Meyer, Amanda Ashley, Christine Feehan, Lindsay Sands, and L.J. Smith. in the case of the last mentioned one, I'm currently nearly finished with one of her books, The Forbidden Game, which is actually much darker than two others of hers that I've read, in the Night World series. Still, there IS a happy ending....sort of. Good does get to triumph as the proverbial curtain falls.

One absolutely BEAUTIFUL book I read years ago is Tryst, by Elswyth Thane. It's not easy to find at reasonable prices, since it's been out of print for quite some time. I have it somewhere in my home library. The story concerns a seventeen-year-old girl who falls in love with a ghost. It's not scary at all. If you ever get a chance to read it, please do so. You'll be absolutely enthralled! That is, if you like paranormal romance.

I recently re-read Embrace the Night, by Amanda Ashley. I totally loved it fhe first time. This time around, I did think she was a bit too repetitive in places, but I still enjoyed it. The main character, Gabriel, is a very masculine, yet infinitely tender, vampire, who falls in love with a human girl. The story includes reincarnation, and is very sweet, very romantic....sigh....

I'm almost done with L.J. Smith's book, which is actually an omnibus edtion of a trilogy published several years ago. Once I've finished, I might just decide to curl up in Edward Cullen's arms...again.

[Morgan Mess]

Well I believe the House of Night series is a good set of novels that aren't quite scary but have a supernatural feel. The books are about vampires and they have a good sci fi yet young adult life style.

[Morgan Mess]

Oh and of course Edgar Allen Poe poems are always an exquisite supernatural read!

[Bri Meets Books]

iDrakula by Bekka Black was a fun quick read for Halloween - a modern retelling of Dracula.